Automatic closure for elevator-openings.



110.824,96?. PATENTED JULY 3, 1906. A.'WIND.

AUTOMATIC GLOSURE POR BLEVATOR UPENIAVNGS. .APPLICATION FILED 1320.4. 1905.

t 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1. ,l

HLIllUlHN IIIHH No. 824,967. PATENTED JULY 3, 1906. A. WIND.

AUTUMATIG GLOSURE POR ELBVVATOR OPENINGS. APPLIUATION FILED 1330.4, 1905.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

t3 g m 'In Il f win/armed:

1. lnverazn THE NoRms PSrERs ca., wAsHmcraN. n. c,

UNITED STATES- rarnNr orricn.

'AUTOMATIC CLOSURE FOR ELEV'ATOR-OPENINGS.-

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 3, 1906.

Application filed December 4. 1905. Serial No. 290.103.

To a/ZZ whom, t may concern:

Be it known that I, ANTHONY WIND, a citizen of the United States, residing at Buffalo, in the county of Erie and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Automatic Closures for Elevator-Openings, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in automatic closures for elevator-openings, the same being designed more particularly for dumb-waiters or elevator-shelves used inV refrigerators.

The object of the invention is the production of a simple, diu'able, and reliable closure for refrigerators having elevators or carriers in the form of shelves which will automatically and quickly close the opening in the top of the refrigerator through which the shelves are elevated or which, when used with a passenger or freight elevator, will automatically and positively close the openings in the floors when the elevator is raised or lowered.

To this end the invention consists in the construction, arrangement, and combination toparts to be hereinafter described, and particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings, Figure l is a vertical section of a refrigerator having elevator-shelves, the-latter being elevated above the top of the refrigerator. Fig. 2 is a similar view with the elevator-shelves in their normal or lowered position within the refrigerator. Fig. 3 is a horizontal section taken on lineyy, Fig. l. Fig. 4 is a horizontal section taken on line e z, Fig. 2. Fig. 5 is a detached perspective view of the closure or hatch. Fig. 6 is a vertical section showing my invention in modified form for use with freight or passenger elevators.

Referring to the drawings in detail, corresponding numerals of reference refer to corresponding parts in the several iigures.

The reference-numeral l designates the refrigerator, which is designed to be located in the cellar of a building and which has in its top an opening 2. An elevator or carrier 3 (or dumb-waiter as it may be termed) is located within the refrigerator and comprises in preferred form sides 4, a top 5, and shelves 6 to accommodate different articles. The top 5 has its marginal portions extended beyond the body of the carrier, so that when the latter is lowered into the refrigerator said top overlaps the marginal Walls of the openon the top of the refrigerator.

ing 2, and thus closes the latter to prevent the escape of cold air from the refrigerator. The latter' may also be provided with an icechest 7 andv a storing-chamber S or may be otherwise arranged to suit the desires of the maker.

Secured' to the top of the refrigerator are upright guidesy 9, which extend through the floors above. Said guides may be of any suitable construction and serve to guide the elevator or carrier when elevated or lowered. For this purpose a suitable rope 10 is secured to the carrier which may be guided over sheaves, asis common.

In` the top of the refrigerator is formed a recess or chamber Il, in whichis adapted to be retained a horiZontally-slidable closure or hatch 12', which is adapted to be slid outward to close the opening 2 in the top when the elevator or carrier is elevated. In this manner the escape of cold air from and the admission of warm air to the refrigerator is prevented. In order to accomplish this', I inter-pose between the inner edge of said closure and the inner end of said recess a suitable spring or springs 13, by means of which the outer edge of said closure is heldin contact with the elevator or carrier when lowered and forced outward to close the opening 2 when said elevator or carrier is elevated.

As herein shown, two springs are fixed to the inner Wall of said recess and bear with their free ends against the inner edge of the closure, which is provided with longitudinal grooves 14, in which the free ends of said springs ride. Each spring consists of apiece of spring-wire coiled near one end, as at I5, and having said end in contact with the inner wall of the recess and secured thereto by staples 16 or otherwise, the wire being curved 95 outward from the coil, as at 17, to lie with its free end in the corresponding groove 14. For the purpose of retaining the springs within the grooves clips 18 are secured to the inner edge of the closure.

Inclined rider-bars 19 are secured to the closure at or near its forward end, the upper ends thereof being braced by vertical bars 2O having rollers at their lower ends which ride In this manner the rider-bars are properly braced without creating undue friction.

The elevator or carrier 3 is provided at its lower end with rollers 2l, which are adapted in the lowering of the elevator-carrier to en- 11o IOO gage the rider-bars and by reason of the-in clination of the latter force the closure into the recess to permit the elevator or carrier to enter the refrigerator.

As shown in Fig. 6 of the drawings, my invention is well adapted for use with passenger or freight elevators. When so used, the closure or hatch 'l2 is slidable within a recess 22 arranged in the floor or each of the iioors, as the case may be. When so used, two rider-bars are provided one above and the other below the Hoor-line, so that the elevator comes in contact with the lower rider-bar to open the hatchway when the elevator rises, the latter having a roller 23 at its upper end to engage the lower rider-bar. On lowering the elevator the upper rider-bar is engaged by the elevator to open the hatchway, the construction of the various parts being identical with those embodied in the refrigerator.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim isl. The combination with an elevator or carrier adapted to be raised or lowered,v of a wall or floor having an opening througawhich said elevator passes and a recess extending inward from said opening, a closure slidable in said recess and having an inclined riderbar secured to the outer end thereof and adapted to be engaged by the elevator to cause the closure to slide into said recess, and springs interposedbetween the inner edge of said closure and the inner wall of said recess.

2. The combination with an elevator or carrier adapted to be raised 'or lowered, of-a wall or floor having an opening through which said elevator passes and a recess extending inward from said opening, a closure slidable in said recess, an inclined rider-,bar secured to said closure and having a vertical brace-bar at its outer end furnished with a roller adapted to ridefon said wall or floor, saidrider-bar being adapted for engagement with the elevator to cause the closure to slide into said recess, and springs interposed between the inner edge of said closure and the inner' wall of said recess.

3. The combination with an' elevator or carrier adapted to be raised or lowered, of a wall or floor having an opening through which said elevator passes'and a recess extending `inward from said opening, a closure slidable in said recess, and springs formed of wire coiled near one of their ends and having said ends secured to the inner wall of said recess and being curved from said coils to bear against the inner edge of said closure.

4. The combination with an elevator or carrier adapted to be raised or lowered, of a wall or floor having an opening through which said elevator passes and a recess extending inward from said opening, a closnre slidable in said recess and having grooves in its inner edge, and springs formed of wire coiled near one of their ends and having said ends secured to the inner wall of said recess and being curved from said coils with the oppo.

site ends thereof in said grooves.

5. The combination with an elevator adapted to beV raised or lowered, of a floor having an opening through which said elevator passes and a recess extendin from said opening, a closure slidab e in said recess and having inclined rider-bars secured to opposite sides thereof and having vertical brace-bars at their outer ends furnished with rollers to ride .against opposite sides of the floor, said rider-bars being adapted to be en gaged by the elevator on the upward and downward movements through the floor opening to cause the closure to slide lnto said` recess, and means to close said closure after,

the elevator, has passed through said opening. In? testimony whereof I have aflixed my signature in the presence of two sbscribing witnesses'. l v

ANTHONY WIND. Witnesses:

MAY F.' SEWERL EMIL NEUHART inward Y 

